Glen Abbey Toastmasters Club Member Keith Rabey recently achieved a big Toastmasters milestone - his Distinguished Toastmaster designation.
What is a Distinguished Toastmaster?
The Distinguished Toastmaster is the highest award Toastmasters bestows. The DTM recognizes a high level of achievement in both the communication and leadership tracks in the Toastmasters education program. To be eligible for the award, you must have completed / earned the following (links take you to details at Toastmasters International):
Keith joined Toastmasters in 2009, and over the last 6 years completed over 75 speeches at Glen Abbey, at other clubs, and at District 86 events. In addition, he held roles as the Glen Abbey Toastmasters Club VP PR, Club President, and Area Director.
Thoughts On Toastmasters
I joined Toastmasters with the goal to improve my public speaking and particularly my interviewing skills. Table Topics was instrumental in helping me achieve that goal. Over time I have become much more confident and able to stand up and deliver speeches in many situations in my personal and professional life.
One of the surprises I found with Toastmasters was the leadership component of the program. I took on leadership roles on the executive of GATM and went on to become an Area Director serving and leading 5 clubs in Mississauga.
Many individuals have helped me along the way. I would like to say Thank You to all, who have applauded when I spoke, who have provided verbal or written evaluations. Thank you to all who have encouraged me with “good job Keith!” or a friendly pat on the back. This is what Toastmasters is all about, as safe supportive environment to learn and develop.
I actively promote Toastmasters when the opportunity presents itself and encourage everyone to sign up and take advantage of this fantastic program!
A fun halloween-themed meeting was held at the GATM on November 1st, 2017. Our members were dressed up in great Halloween costumes and shared ghoulsidh stories and spook-tacular evaluations. What a fun night!
In November 2016, Flora Sun received her Competent Communicator designation. The Competent Communicator is the first speaking designation in the Toastmasters program and is achieved after creating, practicing and delivering 10 speeches with specific project goals. We asked her a few questions about her experience at Glen Abbey Toastmasters.
How long have you been a Toastmaster? I have been a Toastmaster since January, 2015.
Why did you join Toastmasters? Originally, I wanted to improve my English listening and speaking skills. With the help of Glen Abbey's experienced club members, I improved my public speaking skills.
What have you learned from your Toastmasters journey? I learned a lot from the Toastmasters. After every speech, I received constructive feedback from my evaluator and club members. Many experienced members took a lot of time to help me improve my tone and gestures and encouraged me to continue to practice my public speaking skills.
What surprised you about Toastmasters? How really encouraging the environment is. After my first speech, I was waiting for the criticizing feedback, but instead - the evaluator was really encouraging and pointed out my strong points while gently and kindly mentioning areas that could be improved. This helped me a lot to continue to practice.
What do you like most about our club? The really friendly encouraging environment. Many club members are not only excellent public speakers, but also the humorous performers.
Glen Abbey Toastmasters Club Member Reema Duggal recently achieved a big Toastmasters milestone - her Distinguished Toastmaster designation.
What is a Distinguished Toastmaster?
The Distinguished Toastmaster is the highest award Toastmasters bestows. The DTM recognizes a high level of achievement in both the communication and leadership tracks in the Toastmasters education program. To be eligible for the award, you must have completed / earned the following (links take you to details at Toastmasters International):
Reema joined Toastmasters in 2010, and over the last 6 years completed over 75 speeches at Glen Abbey, at other clubs, and at District 86 events. In addition she held roles as the Glen Abbey Toastmasters Club VP PR, Club President, and Area 35 Governor. She also led the Toastmasters 86 Member Communications and Engagement Committee, and received the District 86 Legacy Award for her vision and foundational work in designing the District 86 communication strategy / channel.
Thoughts On Toastmasters
Reema says "Toastmasters is one of the best things I have ever done. The program is exceptional and the peer2peer format creates a very supportive and positive environment for everyone to become better at public speaking and leadership. I encourage everyone to come to a meeting to see what it's all about."
Next Steps? "I'm thinking about what I have to do to become an Accredited Speaker......... but that will take another few years. I'm in no rush. In the meantime, I hope to be able to mentor new club members and help the club celebrate our 25th Anniversary in 2017."
